Patient Support Apparatus with X-Ray Cassette Positioning

ABSTRACT

A patient support apparatus includes a frame supporting a surface for a patient to lie on and an X-ray cassette mover coupled to the frame under the surface of the patient and adapted to receive an X-ray cassette. The patient support apparatus also includes one or more sensors located along the frame to sense a position of the patient on the surface and a controller in communication with the sensors and the X-ray cassette to determine the position of the patient on the surface and to position the X-ray cassette mover relative to the patient. The X-ray cassette mover provides a direct reference to the position of the X-ray cassette under the surface of the patient.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The subject patent application is a Continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/671,681, filed on Nov. 1, 2019, which claimspriority to and all the benefits of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/754,633, filed on Nov. 2, 2018, the disclosures of each of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Currently hospitals require one or two caregivers to manually move thepatient to place an X-ray cassette behind the patient's back for a chestX-ray. This typically occurs daily in an intensive care unit (ICU) of ahealth care facility and can become a huge strain on the caregiversbased on positioning the X-ray cassette while moving the patient up andover out of the way of the cassette placement. Besides the strain oncaregivers this also includes wear and tear in the form of mattresscover tears or damaged X-ray cassettes from the amount of force requiredto insert the cassette behind the patient's back.

A patient support apparatus for handling X-ray cassettes is desired thataddresses one or more of the aforementioned challenges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a patient support apparatus with anX-ray cassette mover and X-ray cassette and having a patient thereon.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the patient support apparatus of FIG. 1with the X-ray cassette mover in both phantom and exploded view with thepatient removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the X-ray cassette mover of FIGS. 1 and2 with the X-ray cassette illustrated being loaded into the X-raycassette mover.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the X-ray cassette mover of FIG. 3 withthe X-ray cassette in a first operational position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the X-ray cassette mover of FIG. 3 withthe X-ray cassette in a second operational position.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method, according to the present invention,of moving the X-ray cassette with the X-ray cassette mover into anoperational position relative to the patient.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a patient support apparatus 30 is shown forsupporting a patient in a health care setting. The patient supportapparatus 30 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a hospital bed. In otherembodiments, however, the patient support apparatus 30 may comprise astretcher, cot, wheelchair, chair, or similar apparatus utilized in thecare of a patient.

The patient support apparatus 30 includes a support structure, generallyindicated at 32, providing support for the patient. The supportstructure 32 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a base 34 and a supportframe 36 disposed above the base 34 and supported by the base 34. Thesupport structure 32 also comprises a patient support deck 38 disposedon the support frame 36. The patient support deck 38 comprises sections,some of which are capable of articulating (e.g., pivoting) relative tothe support frame 36. The patient support deck 38 provides a patientsupport surface 40, upon which the patient is supported.

The patient support apparatus 30 also includes a mattress 50 disposed onthe patient support deck 38 during use. The mattress 50 comprises asecondary patient support surface 52 upon which the patient issupported. The mattress 50 may be omitted in certain embodiments, suchthat the patient rests directly on the patient support surface 40. Thebase 34, support frame 36, patient support deck 38, and patient supportsurfaces 40, 52, each comprise a head end and a foot end correspondingto designated placement of the patient's head and feet on the patientsupport apparatus 30. The base 34 comprises a longitudinal axis L alongits length from the head end to the foot end. The base 34 also comprisesa vertical axis V arranged crosswise (e.g., perpendicularly) to thelongitudinal axis L along which the support frame 36 is lifted andlowered relative to the base 34. The patient also has a midline axis ML.The construction of the support structure 32 may take on any known orconventional design, and is not limited to that specifically set forthabove. For example, the support structure 32 may be like that shown inU.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2013/0111664 to Childs et al., filed onAug. 14, 2012, entitled, “Wheeled Carriage With Brake Lock System,”which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

The patient support apparatus 30 may include patient barriers, such asside rails 54, 56, 58, 60 coupled to the support frame 36 and/or patientsupport deck 38 and are thereby supported by the base 34. If the patientsupport apparatus 30 is a stretcher or a cot, there may be fewer siderails.

The patient support apparatus 30 may include a headboard 62 and afootboard 64 coupled to the support frame 36. The headboard 62 andfootboard 64 may be coupled to any location on the patient supportapparatus 30, such as the support frame 36 or the base 34.

The patient support apparatus 30 may include caregiver interfaces 66,such as handles, shown integrated into the footboard 64 to facilitatemovement of the patient support apparatus 30 over a floor surface F.Additional caregiver interfaces 66 may be integrated into othercomponents of the patient support apparatus 30, such as the headboard 62or the side rails 54, 56, 58, 60. The caregiver interfaces 66 aregraspable by the caregiver to manipulate the patient support apparatus30 for movement, and the like. Other forms of the caregiver interface 66are also contemplated.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the patient support apparatus 30 furtherincludes a plurality of wheels 68 coupled to the base 34 to facilitatetransport over the floor surface F. The wheels 68 are arranged in eachof four quadrants of the base 34 adjacent to corners of the base 34. Inthe embodiment shown, the wheels 68 are caster wheels able to rotate andswivel relative to the support structure 32 during transport. Each ofthe wheels 68 forms part of a caster assembly 70. Each caster assembly70 is mounted to the base 34. Additional wheels are also contemplated.For example, the patient support apparatus 30 may comprise fournon-powered caster wheels 68, along with one or more powered wheels. Itshould be appreciated that although the caster assembly 70 is shown anddescribed as being part of the patient support apparatus 30, the casterassembly 70 could be used with any mobility apparatus in which casterwheels are suitable for providing mobility.

The patient support apparatus 30 also includes an X-ray cassette mover,generally indicated at 72, coupled to the support frame 36 underneaththe patient support surface 40 of the patient support deck 38. The X-raycassette mover 72 is disposed in the patient support deck 38. Asillustrated in FIGS. 3-5, the X-ray cassette mover 72 receives andsupports an X-ray cassette 74 to allow an X-ray to be taken of thepatient. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, an X-ray machine or device 76may be used in conjunction with the patient support apparatus 30 to takean X-ray of a portion of the patient, for example the lungs, in thehealth care setting. It should be appreciated that the patient supportdeck 38 is made of a material to allow X-rays from the X-ray device 76to pass therethrough. It should also be appreciated that the X-raydevice 76 is known in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 3-5, one embodiment of the X-ray cassette mover 72 isshown. In this embodiment, the X-ray cassette mover 72 includes a moverframe 80 coupled to the patient support deck 38. As illustrated in FIGS.1 and 2, the mover frame 80 may be disposed through an opening 81 in thepatient support deck 38 and disposed therein. In one embodiment, themover frame 80 is generally rectangular in shape, but may be anysuitable shape. The mover frame 80 includes an opening or slot 82 toallow the X-ray cassette 74 to be loaded and unloaded therein. In oneembodiment, the slot 82 is located on a side thereof and generallyrectangular in shape, but may be any suitable shape to allow insertionof the X-ray cassette 74. The mover frame 80 may include a door 84pivotally hinged thereto to open and close the slot 82. In oneembodiment, the door 84 is generally rectangular in shape, but may beany suitable shape to close the slot 82.

The X-ray cassette mover 72 also includes a pair of first actuators 86,for example electric motors, coupled to the mover frame 80 and a pair ofrotatable first threaded lead screws 88 coupled to the first actuators86 and the mover frame 80 and spaced laterally within the mover frame80. In one embodiment, the first actuators 86 are disposed along andinside on the side of the mover frame 80 opposite the side with the slot82 and connected to the mover frame 80 by a suitable mechanism such asfasteners (not shown). The first threaded lead screws 88 have one endrotatably coupled to the first actuators 86 and extend longitudinallyfrom the first actuators 86. The other end of the first threaded leadscrews 88 are rotatably connected to the side of the mover frame 80 by asuitable mechanism such as journals (not shown).

The X-ray cassette mover 72 also includes a pair of first threadedsupport nuts 90 disposed along and coupled to the first threaded leadscrews 88. In one embodiment, each of the first threaded support nuts 90is disposed about and threadably engages one of the first threaded leadscrews 88 for moving along the first threaded lead screws 88 whenrotated. In one embodiment, the first threaded support nut 90 isgenerally rectangular in shape, but may be any suitable shape to movealong the first threaded lead screw 88.

The X-ray cassette mover 72 further includes a second actuator 92, forexample an electric motor, coupled to one of the first threaded supportnuts 90 and a rotatable second threaded lead screw 94 coupled to andextending laterally between the second actuator 92 and the other one ofthe first threaded support nuts 90. In one embodiment, the secondactuator 92 is disposed along and inside on a side of the first threadedsupport nut 90 and connected to the first threaded support nut 90 by asuitable mechanism such as fasteners (not shown). The second threadedlead screw 94 has one end rotatably coupled to the second actuator 92and extends laterally from the second actuator 92. The other end of thesecond threaded lead screw 94 is rotatably coupled to the other firstthreaded support nut 90 by a suitable mechanism such as a journal (notshown).

The X-ray cassette mover 72 also includes a support tray, generallyindicated at 96, to support the X-ray cassette 74 and a second threadedsupport nut 98 coupled to the support tray 96 and threadably engagingthe second threaded lead screw 94 for moving along the second threadedlead screw 94. In one embodiment, the support tray 96 is generallyrectangular in shape, but may be any suitable shape to support the X-raycassette 74. In one embodiment, the second threaded support nut 98 isdisposed beneath the support tray 96 and fixed to the support tray 96.The second threaded support nut 98 is also disposed about and threadablyengages the second threaded lead screw 94 for moving along the secondthreaded lead screw 94 when rotated. In one embodiment, the secondthreaded support nut 98 is generally rectangular in shape, but may beany suitable shape to support the support tray 96 and move along thesecond threaded lead screw 94.

The X-ray cassette mover 72 further includes a pair of support rods 100extending laterally between the first threaded support nuts 90 tosupport movement of the support tray 96. In one embodiment, the supportrods 100 are spaced longitudinally and have one end connected to one ofthe first threaded support nuts 90 and another end connected to theother one of the first threaded support nuts 90. It should beappreciated that the X-ray cassette mover 72 moves the support tray 96via the actuators 86 and 92, threaded lead screws 88 and 94, andthreaded support nuts 90 and 98 longitudinally and laterally relative tothe mover frame 80 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

In one embodiment, the support tray 96 includes a base member 102 tosupport the X-ray cassette 74 and a back member 104 to act as a stop forthe X-ray cassette 74. In one embodiment, the base member 102 isgenerally rectangular in shape, but may be any suitable shape to supportthe X-ray cassette 74. The base member 102 is connected to the secondthreaded support nut 98 by a suitable mechanism such as fasteners (notshown). In one embodiment, the back member 104 is generally rectangularin shape, but may be any suitable shape to act as a stop for insertionof the X-ray cassette 74. The support tray 96 may include one or morecassette sensors 106 disposed laterally along the back member 104 tosense or detect a size of the X-ray cassette 74 loaded or disposed onthe base member 102. In one embodiment, the sensors 106 may be of a Halleffect type to detect a size of the X-ray cassette 74. It should beappreciated that there are different sizes of X-ray cassettes 74.

The support tray 96 also includes a third actuator 108, for example anelectric motor, coupled to the base member 102 and a rotatable thirdthreaded lead screw 110 extending laterally from the third actuator 108.In one embodiment, the third actuator 108 is disposed beneath the basemember 102 and connected to the base member 102 by a suitable mechanismsuch as fasteners (not shown). The support tray 96 includes a recess 112extending laterally along and into the base member 102 and the thirdlead screw 110 extends into the recess 112. In one embodiment, therecess 112 is generally rectangular in shape, but may be any suitableshape. The support tray 96 further includes a clamp 114 coupled to thethird threaded lead screw 110 to move and engage and disengage the X-raycassette 74. In one embodiment, the clamp 114 is generally parallelogramshaped, but may be any suitable shape to engage the X-ray cassette 74.The clamp 114 extends longitudinally and has a threaded nut portion 116disposed in the recess 112. The threaded nut portion 116 is alsodisposed about and threadably engages the third threaded lead screw 110for movement along the recess 112 and the third threaded lead screw 110.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the patient support apparatus 30includes one or more patient sensors 120 coupled to each of the patientbarriers such as side rails 54 and 58 to determine a position of thepatient vertically on the patient support deck 38 and a positionhorizontally on the patient support deck 38, such as a position of oneor more of the patient's head, neck, and torso. In one embodiment, thesensors 120 comprise at least one of ultrasonic sensors, laser sensors,and distance sensors. In one embodiment, the sensors 120 are spacedlongitudinally along the side rails 54 and 58. As illustrated in FIG. 3,the patient support apparatus 30 also includes a controller 122 coupledto and in communication with the sensors 120 and the X-ray cassettemover 72. As illustrated, the controller 122 is also coupled to and incommunication with the actuators 86, 92, 108 and the sensors 106.

In one embodiment, the controller 122 uses data from the sensors 106 onthe support tray 96 to automatically determine a size of the X-raycassette 74. For example, the size of the X-ray cassette 74 can bedetermined by measuring the x, y dimensions (width and height) of theX-ray cassette 74 using position data. In one implementation, anx-dimension of the X-ray cassette 74 can be determined by the controller122 using the sensors 106 to indicate the distance of the X-ray cassette74 from the back member 104, e.g., the gap between the X-ray cassette 74and the back member 104, as shown in FIG. 5. Assuming that the X-raycassette 74 has been pushed completely into the slot 82 so that one edgeof the X-ray cassette 74 is adjacent to the slot 82, and knowing thedistance of the gap between the X-ray cassette 74 and the back member104 via the sensors 106 (which are arranged parallel to the y-axis tomeasure distances in the x-dimension), the controller 122 can determinethe x-dimension of the X-ray cassette 74. The y-dimension could also bedetermined by the controller 122 using measurements from the sensors106. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, if enough sensors 106 are providedalong the back member 104 so that some of the sensors 106 detect an edgeof the X-ray cassette 74, while others do not (note that one sensor 106does not detect the edge in FIG. 5), the controller 122 can determinethe y-dimension based on the number of the sensors 106 that detect theedge, i.e., via a known distance between the outermost of the sensors106 that detect the edge, thus indicating the y-dimension. In anotherimplementation, encoder data or position data from any suitable positionsensor, such as an encoder in the actuator 108 or a linear potentiometerattached to the clamp 114 and/or the base member 102, can indicate aposition of the clamp 114 along the third threaded lead screw 110 of theX-ray cassette 74 and relative to a side wall 103 against which theclamp captures the X-ray cassette 74. Accordingly, a y-dimension of theX-ray cassette 74 can be determined by the controller 122 using the dataprovided by the position sensor.

The controller 122 includes a processor (not shown) having an algorithmto center the X-ray cassette 74, for example on lungs of the patient. Inone embodiment, the controller 122 uses data from the sensors 120 tocalculate a current position of the patient relative to the frame 36 sothat the controller 122 is able to determine a desired placement of theX-ray cassette 74 based on the determined size of the X-ray cassette 74.In one embodiment, the controller 122 activates the cassette mover 72 tomove the support tray 96 to center the X-ray cassette 74 on lungs of thepatient using the data from the sensors 120. It should be appreciatedthat there is a gap defined between the patient barriers such as siderails 54 and 58 and the patient support deck 38 such that a homeposition of the support tray 96 and X-ray cassette 74 is adjacent thegap. It should also be appreciated that the sensors 120 provide data asto whether the patient is off center relative to the patient supportdeck 38 for the calculation to move the support tray 96 and X-raycassette 74 to center on the lungs of the patient. It should further beappreciated that once the support tray 96 and X-ray cassette 74 are inposition relative to the patient, the X-ray device 76 operates or isoperated.

Operation of the X-ray cassette mover 72 is illustrated in FIGS. 3-5.Notably, an operator's hand loads the X-ray cassette 74 into thecassette mover 72 by pushing the X-ray cassette 74 through the slot 82in the mover frame 80 and upon the support tray 96 as illustrated inFIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the controller 122 uses data from the sensors 106 todetermine the size of the X-ray cassette 74. In FIG. 4, the support tray96 is shown in its initial position with respect to the cassette mover72 with the X-ray cassette 74 being in the loaded position. In FIG. 5,the controller 122 activates the third actuator 108 to rotate the thirdthreaded lead screw 110 to move and pull the clamp 114 down to engagethe X-ray cassette 74. It should be appreciated that the controller 122may determine that the X-ray cassette 74 is sufficiently clamped down byincreased current to the third actuator 108 being sensed by thecontroller 122.

Thereafter, if necessary, the X-ray cassette mover 72 moves the supporttray 96 and X-ray cassette 74 to the home position previously describedand shown in FIGS. 3-5. The controller 122 receives data from thesensors 120 and moves the support tray 96 and X-ray cassette 74 toposition the X-ray cassette 74 under the anatomy of the patient lyingupon the patient support apparatus 30. It should be appreciated that theX-ray cassette 74 is fixed relative to the cassette mover 72. It shouldalso be appreciated that the controller 122 uses x-y coordinates asillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, or other suitable positioning methods, toposition the X-ray cassette 74 relative to the patient.

In one implementation, the sensors 120 shown in FIG. 2 are placed atpredefined locations in the x-y coordinate system. Additionally,although only one set of sensors 120 is shown mounted to the side rail58 in FIG. 2, an opposing set of sensors 120 may be located on theopposite side rail 54. In this way, the sensors 120 can detect anapproximate x, y position of the patient, and the anatomy of interest,in the x-y coordinate system. For example, the sensors 120 on the siderails 54, 58 may be arranged parallel to the y-axis to detect distancesin the x-dimension and thereby detect a plurality of distances (e.g.,using ultrasonic sensors) from the sensors 120 to the patient. Assuminga general symmetry of the patient lying on the mattress 50, thecontroller 122 approximates a placement of the patient with respect tothe x-axis of the x-y coordinate system, e.g., the patient is centrallypositioned between the side rails 54, 58, or the patient is offset fromcenter. The controller 122 determines a location of the midline axis MLof the patient by comparing the measurements taken by the sensors 120and approximating an x-dimension location of the midline axis ML,parallel to the y-axis.

Similarly, the sensors 120 can approximate the location of the patientor patient's anatomy on the y-axis. By knowing the distance betweenopposing sensors 120 on the side rails 54, 58 (e.g., the width betweenthe side rails 54, 58), and given the measurements from the sensors 120,which detect an outer surface of the patient (skin, clothes, etc.), thewidth of the patient is calculated by the controller 122 as the widthbetween opposing sensors 120 minus the detected distances to the patient(on both sides of the patient). This calculated width can then becompared by the controller 122 to a look-up table that correlates widthsto patients and/or patient anatomy. For example, given calculated widthsof 8-15 inches, the look-up table may indicate that the sensors 120 havelocated the patient's head, for widths of 20-40 inches the look-up tablemay indicate that the sensors 120 have located the patient's torso, andso on. Based on these determinations, and given statistical data of thelocation of a normal or average person's lungs relative to their headand/or torso locations, the controller 122 can then approximate an x-ylocation of the patient's lungs in the x-y coordinate system. In otherversions, the patient's weight and/or height may also be considered andinput to the controller 122 to better approximate the location of thepatient's lungs. The controller 122 can then instruct the X-ray cassettemover 72 to locate the X-ray cassette 74 directly beneath the patient'slungs using the calculated x-y coordinates.

It should be appreciated that, after the x-ray images are acquired, theX-ray cassette mover 72 is moved back to the home position, which isused to receive and eject the X-ray cassette 74 from the X-ray cassettemover 72. Movement back to the home position may be manual or automated,and could be based on communication between the controller 122 and theX-ray device 76, i.e., once the image is acquired a signal from theX-ray device 76 to the controller 122 could trigger automated movementback to the home position.

Referring to FIG. 6, a method, according to the present invention, ofmoving the X-ray cassette 74 with the X-ray cassette mover 72 into anoperational position relative to the patient is show. After the methodstarts, in block 130, the method includes the step of feeding the X-raycassette 74 into the X-ray cassette mover 72 and loading the X-raycassette 74 on the support tray 96. The method advances to block 132 andincludes the step of determining the size of the X-ray cassette 74loaded on the support tray 96 using data from the sensors 106 on thesupport tray 96. The method advances to block 134 and includes the stepof engaging the X-ray cassette 74 with the clamp 114 and moving thesupport tray 96 to the home position if necessary. The method thenadvances to block 136 and includes the step of approximating thelocation of the patient on the patient support apparatus 30 relative tothe x-axis of the x-y coordinate system by comparing measurements takenby the sensors 120 on the patient support apparatus 30 and approximatingan x-dimension location of the patient. The method then advances toblock 138 and includes the step of approximating the location of thepatient on the patient support apparatus 30 relative to the y-axis ofthe x-y coordinate system by detecting the width of the patient with thesensors 120 on the patient support apparatus 30 and comparingmeasurements to a look-up table that correlates widths to the patientand approximating a y-dimension location of the patient. The method thenadvances to block 140 and includes the step of moving the support tray96 and X-ray cassette 74 to a desired position under the patient toimage the patient. The method then ends.

Accordingly, the present disclosures describes an automated system thatuses proximity sensors 120 to identify the head, neck, and/or torsoposition of the patient in proximity to the side rails 54, 56, 58, 60.Using that data, the X-ray cassette 74 is fed into the slot 82 on theside of the X-ray cassette mover 72 directly beneath the patient supportdeck 38 where the controller 122 can analyze and determine the size ofX-ray cassette 74 entered. Coupled with the size of the X-ray cassette74 and the data from the sensors 120 as to the patient's position, theX-ray cassette mover 72 can mechanically move the X-ray cassette 74 to adesired position to image the lungs of the patient or any other desiredposition, depending on the part of the patient to be imaged.

It will be further appreciated that the terms “include,” “includes,” and“including” have the same meaning as the terms “comprise,” “comprises,”and “comprising.” Moreover, it will be appreciated that terms such as“first,” “second,” “third,” and the like are used herein todifferentiate certain structural features and components for thenon-limiting, illustrative purposes of clarity and consistency.

Several configurations have been discussed in the foregoing description.However, the configurations discussed herein are not intended to beexhaustive or limit the invention to any particular form. Theterminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of wordsof description rather than of limitation. Many modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teachings and theinvention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A patient support apparatus comprising: a basearranged for movement along floor surfaces; a support frame supportedabove the base and including a patient support deck defining a patientsupport surface for a patient to lie on, the patient support deckincluding a back section arranged for articulation relative to thesupport frame; an X-ray cassette mover coupled to the back section ofthe patient support deck under the patient support surface to receive anX-ray cassette, the X-ray cassette mover including: one or more cassettesensors, and at least one actuator for moving the X-ray cassettereceived by the X-ray cassette mover relative to the patient supportsurface; and a controller in communication with the one or more cassettesensors and the at least one actuator, the controller being configuredto determine a size of the X-ray cassette received by the X-ray cassettemover using the one or more cassette sensors, and to drive the at leastone actuator to position the X-ray cassette received by the X-raycassette mover relative to the patient support surface based on thedetermined size of the X-ray cassette received by the X-ray cassettemover.
 2. The patient support apparatus of claim 1, further includingone or more patient position sensors to sense a position of the patienton the patient support surface; and wherein the controller is incommunication with the one or more patient position sensors and isconfigured to determine the position of the patient on the patientsupport surface based on information from the one or more patientposition sensors, and to position the X-ray cassette mover relative tothe patient based on the information from the one or more patientposition sensors.
 3. The patient support apparatus of claim 2, whereinthe one or more patient position sensors comprise at least one ofultrasonic sensors, laser sensors, and distance sensors.
 4. The patientsupport apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller includes aprocessor configured to activate the X-ray cassette mover and positionthe X-ray cassette relative to the patient.
 5. The patient supportapparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller uses data from the one ormore patient position sensors to calculate a position of the patientrelative to the support frame.
 6. The patient support apparatus of claim1, wherein the X-ray cassette mover comprises a mover frame and a slotin one side of the mover frame for allowing insertion and removal of theX-ray cassette.
 7. The patient support apparatus of claim 6, wherein theat least one actuator comprises a pair of first actuators coupled to andspaced within the mover frame and in communication with the controller.8. The patient support apparatus of claim 7, wherein the X-ray cassettemover comprises a pair of first threaded lead screws having one endcoupled to the pair of first actuators and another end coupled to themover frame.
 9. The patient support apparatus of claim 8, wherein theX-ray cassette mover comprises a pair of first threaded support nuts,one of the first threaded support nuts threadably engaging one of thefirst threaded lead screws for moving the first threaded support nutsalong the first threaded lead screws.
 10. The patient support apparatusof claim 9, wherein the at least one actuator further comprises a secondactuator coupled to one of the first threaded support nuts and incommunication with the controller.
 11. The patient support apparatus ofclaim 10, wherein the X-ray cassette mover comprises a second threadedlead screw having one end coupled to the second actuator and another endcoupled to the other one of the first threaded support nuts.
 12. Thepatient support apparatus of claim 11, wherein the X-ray cassette movercomprises a support tray and a second threaded support nut coupled tothe support tray and threadably engaging the second threaded lead screwfor moving along the second threaded lead screw.
 13. The patient supportapparatus of claim 12, wherein the support tray comprises a base memberadapted to support the X-ray cassette.
 14. The patient support apparatusof claim 13, wherein the support tray comprises a third actuator coupledto a bottom of the base member and in communication with the controller.15. The patient support apparatus of claim 14, wherein the support traycomprises a third threaded lead screw coupled to the third actuator. 16.The patient support apparatus of claim 15, wherein the support traycomprises a clamp threadably coupled to the third threaded lead screw tomove and engage and disengage the X-ray cassette.